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EDITORS’ NOTES

Erlend Øye from Kings of Convenience initially wanted the Whitest Boy Alive to form as an electronic-based project, but on their second album Rules, the skewed vision solidifies even more as the quartet approximates dance music on standard rock band instruments, making for an outfit that sounds like a more festive Kings of Convenience and a grittier, earthier version of Parisian funksters Phoenix. If the distorted electric piano on “Keep a Secret” doesn’t get you moving, the four-on-the-floor disco rhythms are sure to charge your batteries. The short synthy breakdown on “Courage” is another moment of movement-inducing gold, but it’s the groove of “1517” that’s easily the most infectious moment here. “Island” is another solid standout with its dislocated keyboard intro that unveils mellow beats pulsing with the coolness of early ‘90s Madchester hits. Throughout the album Øye’s comforting tenor keeps things feeling relaxed and euphoric like a post-massage afterglow. Overall, Rules is slightly more mellow than the band’s 2006 debut Dreams.

EDITORS’ NOTES

Erlend Øye from Kings of Convenience initially wanted the Whitest Boy Alive to form as an electronic-based project, but on their second album Rules, the skewed vision solidifies even more as the quartet approximates dance music on standard rock band instruments, making for an outfit that sounds like a more festive Kings of Convenience and a grittier, earthier version of Parisian funksters Phoenix. If the distorted electric piano on “Keep a Secret” doesn’t get you moving, the four-on-the-floor disco rhythms are sure to charge your batteries. The short synthy breakdown on “Courage” is another moment of movement-inducing gold, but it’s the groove of “1517” that’s easily the most infectious moment here. “Island” is another solid standout with its dislocated keyboard intro that unveils mellow beats pulsing with the coolness of early ‘90s Madchester hits. Throughout the album Øye’s comforting tenor keeps things feeling relaxed and euphoric like a post-massage afterglow. Overall, Rules is slightly more mellow than the band’s 2006 debut Dreams.

TITLE

TIME

Keep a Secret

4:07

Intentions

3:39

Courage

4:22

Timebomb

3:44

Rollercoaster Ride

2:39

High On the Heels

3:20

1517

3:41

Gravity

3:48

Promise Less or Do More

4:17

Dead End

3:22

Island

7:04

11 Songs, 44 Minutes

Released: Mar 31, 2009

℗ 2009 Bubbles Records

About The Whitest Boy Alive

Formed in 2003 as an electronics-based group with an emphasis on the dancefloor, the Whitest Boy Alive eventually abandoned all programming and most other forms of synthetic instrumentation for a typical rock band setup. Guitarist/vocalist Erlend Øye (the Kings of Convenience), bassist Marcin Öz, drummer Sebastian Maschat, and keyboardist Daniel Nentwig began playing a form of straightforward and stripped-down indie rock informed by early Talking Heads (particularly the spindly sound of Talking Heads: 77) and Josef K. They released their first album, titled Dreams, in 2006, and followed it up with the more outgoing and uptempo Rules in 2009. ~ Andy Kellman